Crock-Pot® Blog

2 Meals You Should Cook Overnight

When you think about some of your most time consuming daily responsibilities, cooking might be at the top of the list. Wouldn't it be great if you could prepare a hearty meal while you sleep? With a slow cooker and the right recipes, you're able to do just that. Save the following recipes for those days that you just can't seem to fit in your meal prep. You'll wake up to a flavorful, perfectly cooked meal that you can either store in the fridge for later or work into a hearty breakfast.

Wake up to a great dish that can double as breakfast and dinner.

1. Pineapple Ham
Ham is one of those meats that you can serve with potatoes and veggies for a well-balanced dinner, or throw in with some eggs for breakfast. It's also a dish that tastes best when it's cooked slowly and with the freshest ingredients. Prepare your Crock-Pot® 6-Quart Countdown Digital Slow Cooker and head to bed. When your alarm goes off in the morning, you'll be greeted with the savory smell of ham and pineapple filling your home.

You'll Need:

1/2 cup honey Dijon mustard

1/2 cup real maple syrup

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup fresh pineapple juice

1 8-pound fully cooked boneless ham

4 to 6 pineapple rings

1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple, cut into chunks.

Directions
In a small bowl, combine mustard, maple syrup, brown sugar and pineapple juice. Pour mixture into a saucepan and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Place ham in slow cooker and spread mixture on top of meat, then pour in the extra sauce. Cover the meat with pineapple rings and chunks, then top with lid. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Try this breakfast casserole and add all of your favorite veggies!

2. Breakfast Casserole
Just because "breakfast" is in the name, it doesn't mean you can't eat this meal throughout the day. The recipe calls for sausage, eggs, hash brown potatoes and everything else you can dream of. Throw this together the night before and wake up to a tasty dish that you can snack on immediately or save for later. You can also substitute sausage for ham or bacon if you'd prefer a different meat. You can even add in a variety of peppers to enhance the taste and get in a good serving of veggies. Be creative with this casserole dish!

You'll Need:

2 12-ounce packages sausage

1 cup chopped green onions

1 4-ounce can diced mild green chilies

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Cooking spray

1 30-ounce package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

12 large eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper.

Directions
Cook sausage over stove according to directions on package. In a small bowl, combine green onions, chilies and fresh cilantro. Coat your slow cooker with a light layer of cooking spray, then pack the bottom with a thin layer of hash brown potatoes. Layer onion mixture on top of that, then add a layer of cheese, and repeat until ingredients are gone. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper and pour over mixture. Cover with lid and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Due to the slow ramp up, and even heating of a slow cooker, recipes featured on this site can be cooked in a range of slow cooker sizes. Recipes can be increased or decreased by one quart size per the cooking instructions. For smaller sauces and dips that calls for 3 quarts or less, it is not recommended to alter the unit size. Crock-Pot® is a registered trademark and should not be used generically when referring to a 'slow cooker' within the recipes.

Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/b/a Jarden Consumer Solutions has not tested these recipes and is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe. You may not achieve the results desired due to variations in ingredients, cooking temperatures, cooking times, typos, errors, omissions, or individual cooking abilities. Please always use your best judgment when cooking with raw ingredients such as eggs, chicken or fish.